ELLINGHAM
Adelingham (xi cent.); Elyngham, Aylingham
(xiv cent.).
The parish of Ellingham contains 2,558 acres, of
which 725¾ acres are arable land, 742¾ permanent
grass and 288¾ woods and plantations. (fn. 1) The soil is
gravel. The land slopes from west to east from
64 ft. above the ordnance datum near the River
Avon to 238 ft. on Rockford Common in the east.
The church, vicarage and a farm lie in a group of
trees near the Avon, and are connected by New
Bridge with the estate of Somerley on the other side
of the river. The main road from Fordingbridge to
Ringwood passes east and through the hamlet of
Blashford. (fn. 2) The village school is in Rockford, a
hamlet almost in the centre of the parish. North
of Rockford is Moyles Court, the ancient manorhouse of the Lisles, converted into a farm-house by
Henry Baring of Somerley (fn. 3) in the beginning of the
19th century, but restored at a later date by Mr.
Frederick Fane. (fn. 4) That part of Linwood which is
in the New Forest, and lies between Broomy and
Ibsley, is in Ellingham, and is probably part of the
hide of land said to have been in the Forest in 1086. (fn. 5)
The parish was inclosed in 1822. (fn. 6)
The ancient place-names include Chappell Field (fn. 7)
(xvi cent.).
The township of Broomy, including Broomy
Lodge (Major Robert Walker), Broomy New Inclosure Cottage, part of Linwood, Roe Inclosure Cottage,
Shobley and Holly Hatch, was described in 1831 as
an extra-parochial 'district' not heretofore distinguished. (fn. 8) It was evidently made up of Crown lands
in the New Forest, and became a township in 1868. (fn. 9)
It contains 4,712 acres, of which about 62¾ acres
are arable land, 99¾ acres permanent grass and more
than 1,002¼ acres are uncultivated forest land. (fn. 10)
The soil and subsoil are clay and gravel.
Manors
ELLINGHAM was held of the king
in chief, (fn. 11) the last mention of the overlordship occurring in 1598. (fn. 12)
Cola the Huntsman held the manor in 1086 as
Bolne had held it of Edward the Confessor as an
alod. In 1160 William de Solers was holding the
manor and granted the church of St. Mary, Ellingham, and lands in Ellingham to the abbey of St.
Sauveur-le-Vicomte 'for the souls of his predecessors
and especially for the soul of Earl Richard, his uncle.' (fn. 13)
William was still holding the manor in 1167, (fn. 14) but
by the reign of Richard I William de Punchardon
was in possession, and, although he was dispossessed
by William de Solers about 1194, he recovered seisin in
1199, and William was fined £6 7s. 5d. for his intrusion. (fn. 15) Robert son of William de Punchardon
forfeited the manor in 1205, (fn. 16) and King John granted
it to Thomas Peverell. (fn. 17) However, it was restored
to Robert de Punchardon or to one of his successors,
and descended like the manor of Faccombe Punchardons (q.v.) (fn. 18) to Richard Punchardon, who died
in 1466–7. (fn. 19) It had previously been settled on his
wife Elizabeth, (fn. 20) on whose death in 1499 it was
divided between their daughters Philippa wife of
Thomas or William Lewston and Anne wife of Thomas
Sendy, and William Okeden, son of another daughter
Maud. (fn. 21) Philippa Lewston and Thomas Sendy were
still holding their shares at the time of William
Okeden's death in 1517, (fn. 22) but before 1536 gave up
their right to his son and heir John, who made a
settlement of the whole manor in 1539, (fn. 23) and died
seised in 1558. (fn. 24) Philip son of John (fn. 25) died childless
in 1598, and the manor passed by settlement in
tail-male to his nephew William son of William (fn. 26)
Okeden.
Ellingham belonged to the Okedens until the
middle of the 17th century, when William Beconshaw in 1634–5 died seised of the manor, (fn. 27) which
passed on the death of his son Sir White Beconshaw
in 1638 to the two daughters of the latter, Elizabeth
wife of Thomas Tipping and Alice wife of John
Lisle. (fn. 28) In 1658 a final settlement by which
Ellingham passed to the Lisles was ratified by
William Okeden, possibly a grandson of the lastmentioned William, who sold all reversionary right
to William father of John Lisle. (fn. 29) This John Lisle
the regicide, created Viscount Lisle by Cromwell,
was attainted at the Restoration, but escaped to the
Continent, where he was assassinated in 1664. (fn. 30)
Subsequently Ellingham was
restored to his son John, (fn. 31)
who died in 1709, leaving
two sons John and Charles
Croke Lisle, who both succeeded him in turn and both
died childless. (fn. 32) The latter,
by will proved 1721, entailed
his estates on his uncle Edward
Lisle, (fn. 33) son of William the
elder brother of John Lisle
the regicide. From Edward
the manor passed in turn to
three of his sons, Edward,
John and Charles, (fn. 34) the last
being succeeded by a son
Charles, who died unmarried in 1818. (fn. 35) It then
passed to Christopher Taylor, the husband of his
sister Mary, who had died in 1800. Their eldest
son, Edward Hayles Taylor, who took the name of
Lisle in 1822, sold the manor soon afterwards to
the Earl of Normanton, (fn. 36)
whose descendant Henry James
Agar Earl of Normanton is
the present lord of the manor.
Okeden. Sable a fesse argent between six acorns or with three oak-leases vert on the Jesse.
A mill, which cannot now
be traced, was attached to the
manor in 1086 (fn. 37) and 1294. (fn. 38)
Agar, Earl of Norman ton. Azure a lion or with the difference of a molet.
The manor of ROCKFORD or ROCKFORD
MOYLES (Rechefort or
Rachesford, xii cent.; Rokeford, xiii cent.; Elyngham,
xiv cent.; Rokford Meolys
alias Elyngham, xv cent.),
which Alwi the priest had
held of King Edward as an
alod, was in 1086 held by Hugh de St. Quintin of
Hugh de Port, (fn. 39) and the overlordship was annexed
to the St. John barony. (fn. 40)
In 1167 Rockford was in the possession of Robert
Taisson or Tesson, (fn. 41) a descendant of the Domesday
holder, since Taisson and St. Quintin were used by
the family as alternative names. Thus a few years
later Walter de St. Quintin granted the chapel of
Rockford to the abbey of St. Sauveur-le-Vicomte, (fn. 42)
and as Walter Taisson added a grant to the abbey of a
tithe of all the crops growing in the marsh near his
house. (fn. 43) His son and successor Robert Taisson
witnessed a charter of Margery widow of Richard
Rivers to Ellingham Priory. (fn. 44) After this date the
manor passed to the Moels
family, and it seems possible
that the Testa de Nevill entry,
that Nicholas de Moels held
one knight's fee in 'Chardeford' of the old enfeoffment
of Robert de St. John, refers
to Rockford. (fn. 45) Roger son of
Nicholas de Moels was in
possession of half a knight's
fee in Ellingham in 1280, (fn. 46)
and in 1286 Simon Cosyn
and Cecily his wife granted
him a messuage and land in
Rockford which they held in right of Cecily. (fn. 47) Roger
died in 1295 seised of land in Rockford held of the
heirs of Walter Cosyn, leaving a son and heir John, (fn. 48)
from whom the manor descended with Over Wallop
Moyles (q.v.) until 1337. (fn. 49) In that year John de
Moels died, leaving two daughters, Maud wife of
Sir Thomas Courtney and Isabel wife of William
Botreaux, (fn. 50) and Rockford, then extended at £13 9s. 4d.,
was assigned to the latter. (fn. 51) William Botreaux died
seised of the manor in 1349, and, since his son and
heir William was a minor, (fn. 52) the custody of the manor
was granted to William of Wykeham, (fn. 53) and afterwards
to Richard St. John (fn. 54) and Ralph Daubeney. (fn. 55)
Moels. Argent two bars gules with three roundels gules in the chief.
In 1375 William Botreaux, then a knight, granted
the manor to a certain Walter Clopton for life, (fn. 56) and
ten years later settled the reversion on his own son
William. (fn. 57) The latter succeeded him in 1391, (fn. 58) but
died four years later, leaving an infant son William. (fn. 59)
The latter died in 1462, and was succeeded by his
only daughter, Margaret widow of Sir Robert Hungerford, (fn. 60) who sold the manor to Robert White, (fn. 61)
probably when she was raising a ransom for her son
Robert, who had been taken prisoner at the battle of
Castillon. (fn. 62) Rockford remained in the White family
for some years, passing from Robert to his son John, (fn. 63)
and afterwards in 1469 to Robert son of John. (fn. 64)
Henry White, son of the latter, (fn. 65) died circa 1535,
leaving a son Robert, (fn. 66) who
was holding the manor in
1557. (fn. 67) He was succeeded by
William White, (fn. 68) apparently
his son, who died in 1594,
leaving an only daughter, Alice
wife of William Beconshaw. (fn. 69)
From this time Rockford
passed like Ellingham (q.v.
supra) to the Lisle family,
Moyles Court in Rockford
becoming their chief residence.
Thus Alice, widow of John
Lisle the regicide, continued
to live at Moyles Court after
her husband's attainder and death until her own notorious trial and death by burning in the market-place at
Winchester in 1685. (fn. 70) On the accession of William
and Mary her attainder was reversed (fn. 71) and Rockford,
which had been granted to Lewis Earl of Feversham, (fn. 72)
was restored, like Ellingham, to her son John. (fn. 73)
White. Argent a chcveron gules between three popinjays vert in a border azure bezanty.
Moyles Court, Ellingham
In the middle of the 19th century Edward Hayles
Taylor sold Rockford to Henry Baring of Somerley, (fn. 74)
from whom it has since been
purchased by John Coventry
of Burgate Manor. Moyles
Court, however, was sold to
the Earl of Normanton with
Ellingham. (fn. 75)
Lisle. Or a chief azure with three lions or therein.
A water-mill belonged to
Rockford Manor in the 13 th
century, (fn. 76) but by 1337 was
in bad repair, (fn. 77) and in 1349
it was almost in decay. (fn. 78) It
is mentioned in 1664, (fn. 79) but
no trace of it exists at the
present day. The right of
free fishing was attached to the manor in the 18th
century. (fn. 80)
The Moels family held land in Ellingham, (fn. 81) which
followed the descent and became merged in the
manor of Rockford Moyles (q.v.).
The alien priory of Ellingham, a cell to the
abbey of St. Sauveur-le-Vicomte in the diocese of
Coutances, was founded by William de Soleres in
1160. (fn. 82)
Church
The church of ST. MARY (formerly
ALL SAINTS) consists of a chancel
measuring 35 ft. to the screen and 37 ft.
to the wall angle and 14 ft. 9 in. wide, a north organ
chamber, nave 52 ft. by 24 ft., a wooden bell turret
over the west gable and a south porch. The whole
building appears to have been built in the late 13th
century, a rood-loft stair turret being added in the
15th century; the south porch and west end of the
nave are of red brick and stone and were rebuilt in
1720 and 1747 respectively, and the organ bay is a
modern addition.
The east window of the chancel consists of three
grouped lancets with a two-centred chamfered rear
arch partly restored. The eastern angles of the nave
walls have pairs of 13th-century buttresses. In the
north wall is a double lancet much restored. In the
south wall of the chancel is a trefoiled piscina with a
pair of drains, and near it a three-light window with
modern tracery. The south door has a two-centred
head with a stopped chamfer, and west of it is a 15th-century window of three lights. There is no chancel
arch, its place being taken by a screen which by most
unusual good fortune retains its contemporary plastered
partition above, and the floor and part of the front of
the rood loft, the latter being 2 ft. wide, and setting
forward in front of the screen. On the plaster partition over the screen the position of the rood which
stood against it is clear, and has on either side of it
wooden brackets, on which the figures of our Lady
and St. John must have stood. On either side are
painted figures of angels, and there is a background of
a diaper pattern of roses and lilies and a border of
dark green foliage. The date of the work is c. 1460.
The front of the loft has been closed by a plastered
partition on which are painted the royal arms of
Charles II, 1671, and a number of texts, &c, in
square and oval borders. In the upper tier are the
Lord's Prayer, the Commandments in two panels, and
the Creed, and below are four texts, James i. 21,
Galatians iii. 24, Proverbs xxiv. 21, and Malachi iv. 2,
with the royal arms in the middle. The original
moulded bressummer carrying the front of the loft
also shows externally on the west, and the screen below
is of simple 15th-century character, very well preserved, with tracery in the head and solid panels
below.
On the north side of the nave is a fine late 17th-century wood canopied pew, originally belonging to
the Lisle family, and lighting it a small double lancet
in which a few of the stones are old. The wall is set
out to make room for the pew, which is not in its
original position. West of this are three double
lancets, with the north door between the second and
third; some old stones remaining in all the windows.
The north door only shows externally and has a plain
chamfer and two-centred head. At the south-east of
the nave a 15th-century doorway with cambered
lintel opens into the projecting turret which contained
the rood stair. In the wall above is an opening from
which the rood loft was entered, though it is now
below the level of the actual loft. The turret was lit
by two small lights and has a rough external door.
West of the turret is a three-light window with wood
lintel, only a few stones being old, and the south
doorway is partly restored and has a two-centred
head with stopped chamfers. The porch is of red
brick, dated 1720, and has a large sundial on the
gable.
The west end of the church is in brick and stone,
dated 1747, and has a window and west door in
classical style; the latter is blocked internally by an
early 18th-century carved wood reredos, having a
Doric order with a broken pediment in which are a
dove and lamb.
In the middle is set a very good painting of the
'Last Judgement' brought from Cadiz, and apparently
late 16th-century Spanish work; above it are two
cherubs' heads and below a sheaf of deeply undercut
foliage.
The chancel roof is modern, barrel vaulted in
wood, and that of the nave is of similar shape, but
has old tie-beams and principals, probably of 16th-century date; it is divided into panels by moulded
ribs with gilt rosettes at the points of junction, which
appear to be all modern. The bell turret has been
rebuilt and stands on trussed beams carried to the
ground. There is an octagonal carved 17th-century
pulpit, once forming part of a 'three decker,' and
the back of a bench with carving of the same date.
The altar table is of the 17th century and has carved
legs, and the altar rails are of the 18th century.
The font is octagonal, probably of the 15th century,
but the base on which it stands is of Purbeck marble,
and may have formed part of an earlier font.
Attached to the rood screen is a wrought-iron hourglass stand dated 1650, containing a modern glass.
The only ancient monumental inscription is on a
small brass plate to Richard Punchardon (without
date), now fixed into the modern stone reredos. In
the south wall of the nave is a good marble
monument to Alice Beconshaw, 1622, and on the
west wall of the vestry three late 16th-century
stone panels carved with a scallop and two roses,
with two heads, apparently the ends of mediaeval
labels, above them in the wall. On the monument
of Alice Beconshaw, who was daughter and heir
of William White of Moyles Court, are three shields
of arms, namely, Beconshaw, Sable a cross paty
argent and in the chief a scallop or, with a
crescent for difference; White, and the two coats
impaled.
In the north-east chancel buttresses are two small
crosses and part of an inscription, and a stone half
hidden by the buttress appears to be part of an
engraved cross-slab. Several other old coffin slabs are
also preserved, and on the south-east buttress of the
chancel is a mediaeval sundial.
In the nave hang three good 18th-century brass
chandeliers.
The one bell is by Clement Tosier, 1712.
The plate consists of a silver chalice of 1652, a
paten of 1897 and a flagon alms dish of 1742.
The registers are contained in five books. The
first, which has been recently restored, has all entries
from 1596 to 1694; the second has all entries
from 1695 to 1729; the third has baptisms and
burials from 1727 to 1768 and marriages from
1727 to 1753; the fourth has marriages from 1754
to 1812, and the fifth baptisms and burials from
1769 to 1817.
Advowson
The church of Ellingham, in one
charter described as the church of
St. Mary, (fn. 83) and in another as the
church of All Saints with the chapel of St. Mary, (fn. 84)
formed part of the grant of William de Solers to
Ellingham Priory. In 1294. it was worth £12, (fn. 85)
and before 1298 was appropriated to the priory. (fn. 86)
At the dissolution of the priory the advowson was
granted by Henry VI to Eton College, (fn. 87) to which
Edward IV in 1462 (fn. 88) granted also the fruits of
the church. About 1880 (fn. 89) Eton College sold the
advowson to the late Earl of Normanton, to whose
son, the present earl, it now belongs.
A chapel at Rockford, subject to the church of
Ellingham, was granted by Walter de St. Quintin or
Taisson, with the tithe from his house, to the abbey of
St. Sauveur-le-Vicomte about 1170, and mass was to
be said there three times a week by the chaplain of
Ellingham or a monk. (fn. 90) No trace of it remains, but
it probably stood in the 'Chapell field' mentioned
in an indenture of 1664. (fn. 91)
Charities
Dame Elizabeth Tipping, widow
of Sir Thomas Tipping, knight, by
deed of 30 July 1687, appointed for
the use of the poor certain lands in Wide Meadow,
the rents and profits to be bestowed yearly on
St. Thomas's Day amongst eight poor persons with a
preference to her poor kindred. The poor receive
the rents of 3a. 1r., now known as the Poor's
Allotment, averaging about £4 a year.
In 1828 Mary Ann Colthurst directed certain of
her property to be sold, and proceeds invested for the
benefit of the poor. The trust fund now consists of
£333 6s. 8d. consols.
The Harding Almshouses.—Mrs. Robert Harding,
who died in 1855, directed £1,000 to be applied in
the purchase of land and the erection of almshouses
thereon. The endowment fund consists of
£406 9s. 8d. consols with the official trustees, the
dividends of which are applied in keeping the
almshouses in repair and in defraying the expenses
of the trust.